Monthly Archives: June 2012

Literacy Spotlight: Indo-American Center

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This week the Illinois State Library spotlights the Indo-American Center in Chicago.

In 2011, a year after the horrific earthquake that struck Haiti, three brothers relocated to Chicago. Their father insisted the three brothers come to the U.S. to obtain a meaningful education. None of the boys spoke English, so their father completed registration papers for them to begin the English as a Second Language program at Indo-American Center.

One of the boys truly excelled and became more confident in his speaking skills. With his improved English, he was able to obtain a job supporting his family. He graduated from the most advanced class offered at Indo-American and has begun classes at Truman College. This young man has overcome his initial apprehension and is determined to make his life productive and meaningful.

Literacy Spotlight posts are moving.  You can also view this post on the Adult Literacy Grants page at WebJunction Illinois.

 

Free Illinois Collections Preservation Network (ICPN) Workshop

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When Water Emergencies Strike Your Collections: Response Training & Workshop
Monday July 9, 2012 ♦ 9 am to 3:30 pm CST ♦ Cost: $0

ICPN is pleased to offer this free one-day workshop at the Freeport Art Museum in Freeport. Lunch is included. The workshop is designed to give an introduction to preparing for and responding to water emergencies in museum and library collections. Development of a disaster plan will be discussed, and salvage techniques will be demonstrated. Book, paper and object conservators will present hands on demonstrations, and attendees will participate in a mini-salvage exercise.

To join the ICPN, email Bronwyn Eves, Project Manager. Network membership is free and allows you to participate in member events such as Webinars on preservation topics and burn recovery workshops hosted by the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute. Other member benefits include borrowing environmental assessment kits to monitor temperature and humidity in collections areas and scholarships for courses at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Mt. Carroll.

Visit the ICPN website for more information. The ICPN is made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Connecting to Collections initiative.


State Library Receives Grant to Expand ILEAD U

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The State Library has hosted two extremely successful continuing education initiatives entitled ILEAD U (Illinois Libraries Explore, Apply and Discover). ILEAD U was designed to help library staff understand and respond to user needs through the application of participatory technology tools and the creation of an easy-to-replicate model program. While the first year was limited to Illinois library staff, this year librarians from other states traveled to Springfield to take part in ILEAD U.

We’re pleased to announce that the State Library has received a $470,000 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to expand ILEAD U nationwide. Next year, ILEAD U becomes ILEAD USA. Twenty-eight five-member teams in Illinois, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, and Utah will attend three three-day, in-person sessions over the course of nine months.

ILEAD USA will be held March 25–28, June 17–20, and October 21–24, 2013. The sessions will be held simultaneously in each of the five states, with plenary sessions broadcast live on streaming video. In-person sessions, virtual meetings and activities will allow participants to hone their newly acquired skills; experiment with participatory technology tools; and continue communication with the ILEAD USA network of participants. The Illinois State Library will announce registration information later this year.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through grant making, policy development, and research, we help communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage and lifelong learning. To learn more about IMLS, please visit the IMLS website.

Building Sustainability: A Guest Post

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 Today, we’ll be featuring a guest post from Christie Chandler-Stahl, Director of Branch Services at the Rakow Branch of the Gail Borden Public Library District.  Christie highlights the Rakow Branch’s sustainable building and some great green programming.  WJIL thanks Christie for contributing to our community!

 

Green energy is bursting from the seams of the bamboo ceiling at the Gold LEED Certified Rakow Branch of the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, Illinois. Featuring sustainable elements, landscaping with drought-resistant native plants and grasses, and an emphasis on environmental programming, the Rakow Branch is a green learning center by example and by way of ongoing activities.

A geothermal well system that heats and cools the building saves energy by responding to the earth’s constant temperature of approximately 55 degrees. Extended exterior overhangs and a high albedo roof help to control natural lighting and reduce heat transfer into the building. Neighbor friendly parking lot lighting that focuses downward and maximum natural light and sensor controlled indoor lighting minimize electric light usage.

A new series of monthly DIY demonstrations at the Rakow Branch have highlighted activities such as: spinning wool, knitting and planting a community garden with vegetables. Related book titles are easily found in Rakow’s bookstore-style categories in sections labeled “Green and Growing” and “Do-It-Yourself.”

Other green programs offered recently include “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” for adults and a “Hunger Games” event for youth and families that highlighted poisonous and edible local plants and a rattler from an almost extinct rattlesnake (in partnership with the Elgin Public Museum).  Plans for a new “Native Plant Seeds” lending collection and “Science in the Stacks” are underway.

Rakow tip of the week says: did you know that cooking hardboiled eggs leaves calcium in the cooking water? Let the water cool and then use the liquid to water calcium-loving solanaceous garden plants. Green tips such as this, drawn from the library’s books and online resources, are featured weekly at the branch.

The Rakow Branch is situated in a natural wetlands and offers a unique setting and opportunities for an enjoyable learning experience for all ages.

For a tour of the Rakow Branch, contact Christie Chandler-Stahl, Director of Branch Services at cchandler-stahl@gailborden.info.

Literacy Spotlight: Tolton Center

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This week the Illinois State Library spotlights Tolton Center in Chicago.

In Mexico, this student only advanced to the third grade. When she moved to Chicago, she began English as a Second Language classes to learn to read and write Spanish and to speak, read, and write English. She and her four-year-old son walk over a mile to class in all types of weather. Although the woman, her husband and their four children live below the poverty level, she manages to feed, clothe, and keep her children in school.

Learning English has allowed her the opportunity to talk to people in stores, ask questions at her children’s school, and help her children with their homework. She and her family regularly visit the local library. This student has overcome her shyness to become an active and confident mother, employee, and neighbor.

Literacy posts are moving to WebJunction Illinois.  More details will be provided soon!

WJIL eReader Survey Results

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A big thanks to our members that participated in the WJIL eReader Survey!

WebJunction Illinois surveyed approximately 5,211 WJIL members via email from June 11, 2012-June 18, 2012. The survey asked members to answer questions regarding eBook & eReader needs and uses in Illinois libraries.  We received 235 responses.

Updates to our eBooks & eReader page are already underway and member responses have provided us with great feedback to improve these pages.  A summary of the survey results is available at WebJunction Illinois.

You can also submit video tutorials, documents, or contribute to the discussion forums to share even more resources with the WJIL community!

Photo Preservation Webinar Workshop presented by ICPN

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The Illinois Collections Preservation Network is hosting another free Webinar on Photo Preservation on Monday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to noon CST. Participants will join preservation professionals to learn easy and inexpensive tips for safeguarding your collections and improving collections storage areas.

There will be demonstrations on how to identify different types of photographs, ranging from historic early photographic processes through modern digital prints, as well as common photo reprographic reproduction processes. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions regarding their collections.

Log on as a guest>>

To join the ICPN, email Bronwyn Eves, Project Manager.

Statewide Delivery Service for Illinois Libraries

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In the very near future, the Office of the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library (SOS/ISL) will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to provide statewide delivery services for Illinois libraries for state fiscal year 2014 (July 1, 2013–June 30, 2014).

No plans exist to close library system delivery services; however, we all have a responsibility to ensure effective and efficient use of state funding. In this time of budget cuts and fiscal emergencies, Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White is solidly committed to ensuring that resource sharing, including the delivery of library materials, remains his top priority.

The recent Illinois Library Association (ILA) report, The Future of Illinois Library Cooperation: Exploring Effective, Efficient Service Models, strongly recommends the exploration of outsourcing. Responses to an RFP will provide data about costs and designs for outsourced delivery services. The SOS/ISL will carefully evaluate all responses received.

The RFP, which will be issued through regular procurement channels, does not obligate the SOS/ISL to the execution of a contract. The RFP will not include the delivery services among the Chicago Public Library and its branches, or the Illinois Library Delivery Service, which is supported by a separate agreement.

The efforts of the Secretary and the ISL remain focused on supporting resource sharing and facilitating libraries’ engagement in their communities. Coupled with the ongoing work of the ISL’s Future of Resource Sharing Committee, we will continue to advocate the Secretary’s goal of ensuring resource sharing support for all Illinois libraries.

When published, the RFP will be available at www.purchase.state.il.us. Although registration is required to view RFPs, anyone can register. Future developments regarding the RFP will be announced in the Illinois State Library weekly electronic newsletter and at WebJunction Illinois.

Please contact Anne Craig at 217-782-2994 if you have questions.

Grow Greener & Have Fun Too!

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Need some inspiration to make your library greener?  Check out the following websites! You won’t just feel inspired, you’ll have a bit of fun too.

  • Go Green @ Your Illinois Library: Tons of great ideas, instructions for making your own green toolbox, and case studies about successful green libraries make this website a must visit!
  • Green Library @ Inhabitat: This whole site is great for DIY ideas and all things green. The Green Library page highlights green libraries all over the world with drool worthy photographs.
  • Do the Green Thing: “Green Thing is a public service that inspires people to lead a greener life.” With creative graphics and a humorous blog, this is a great place to start thinking green.
  • enviroGadget: “Gadgets for the Eco-Warrior” This site provides eco-friendly gadgets for the geek in all of us.

What are some of your favorite green websites? Share them with our community on the discussion forums at WebJunction Illinois.

Don’t forget, we’ve started transitioning blog posts over to WebJunction Illinois. You can also view this post here.

 

Literacy Spotlight: Frontier Community College

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This week the Illinois State Library spotlights Frontier Community College in Fairfield.

This adult student was diagnosed with multiple cognitive disabilities that prevent her from learning easily. She began GED classes but struggled, so she took the initiative and started classes at Frontier with a tutor.  Every time she attended she had to have someone drive her 62 miles!

After starting the program at Frontier, this adult learner was shy and lacked confidence. Now she has a job and her employer is pleased with her performance. She is able to live on her own with her husband, and her guardian is less involved in her decisions. This student has even become a speaker in the community on behalf of the literacy program! She plans to become a literacy volunteer and will attend college to help others who have learning challenges.

Literacy Spotlight blog posts are moving!  You can also view this post on WebJunction Illinois.